What a throwback! Rare aerial photo shows what Dingli Street in Sliema looked like in the 1940s
A fascinating old photograph of Dingli Street, Sliema, has resurfaced, offering a glimpse of what the busy seaside road looked like in the years following the Second World War.
The black-and-white image, believed to have been taken in the 1940s, shows a rare aerial perspective, most likely captured from an aircraft, as drones were still decades away from being invented.
In the foreground, you can clearly spot the Torri ta’ San Ġiljan (St Julian’s Tower), standing beside the area that today is home to the playground above the popular Exiles beach.
What stands out most, however, is what’s missing: cars and crowds. Today, Dingli Street and the surrounding promenade are some of the busiest stretches in Malta, regularly filled with strollers, joggers, and dog walkers enjoying the sea breeze. But in this post-war snapshot, the streets appear almost empty – a stark contrast to the bustling area we know today.
Can you imagine roaming the streets of a post-war Sliema?